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NORTON SHORES — Sharing is a good lesson for children to learn, but it might be a good concept for some business owners, too.

AMG Developments is making shared office space and amenities attractive to certain types of companies at its AMG Business Center.

While capital investment in amenities such as copy machines, Internet access, office furniture and suitable meeting space can be barriers to small businesses, AMG is offering office space with shared conference and meeting rooms available to all tenants.

The building is located next to the MuskegonCountyAirport at 800 Ellis Ave.

Zaloga said the building has space for up to 50 tenants, and he hopes the individual businesses will network with one another to create a sort of community that can help provide more resources for all the tenants.

In addition, virtual office tenants, who do not actually have offices in the building, will have use of the meeting rooms and conference rooms by appointment — as well as a local phone number and a local address — for a minimum of $150 a month.

The virtual office option gives tenants a local presence and a place to meet with clients instead of meeting at a less professional location such as a restaurant or hotel, Zaloga said.

“This would look like their office, for all intents and purposes,” he said.

Developer Bill Cooper said the business center is a good option for individuals who need office space in the Muskegon area on a limited basis or for those who do not need a whole suite of offices, such as real estate agents, sales representatives or consultants.

“We’re targeting people who want Class A office space but don’t want a lot of space,” he said.

Cooper, who is the owner of aircraft brokerage Great Lakes Jet, said he uses a business center in Arizona where he spends his winters, and it has worked well for him. Though Cooper said he has seen other business centers in West Michigan, AMG is the first that he knows of to be built specifically for that purpose.

With the location a half-mile from U.S. 31 and close to the airport, Zaloga said the building is a good place for clients and businesses to meet.

Tenants will also have access to extra amenities such as an onsite fitness center that can be used for an extra monthly fee and an onsite massage therapist. A lounge with a pool table will also be set up for tenants’ use. And there are storage units that can be leased for files and records that may not need to be stored in the office itself.

Tenants also have a variety of technology choices. The building will have high-speed Internet available, as well as a phone system using Voice Over Internet Protocol. With VoIP, calls placed to the office can be answered by the building receptionist, forwarded to a home or office telephone, or ring directly in the tenant’s onsite office.

“It’s really easy to manage your own phone system right from your PC,” Zaloga said.

Zaloga said the building is leased at about half capacity currently, which he is happy with, given that the building is not yet finished.

Because of the high caliber of the 40,000-square-foot building, he said he is not worried about leasing the rest of the space. With a bright atmosphere and a “water wall” — a waterfall rushing down a wall onto rocks below — the building is meant to inspire a relaxed feeling.

“I think people are really struck by how unique and attractive and what a showpiece this building is,” he said.

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